Baltus Balss: Russian MiG-41 will become the fastest fighter in the world
The United States has begun developing the sixth-generation F-47 fighter, designed to ensure air dominance for the United States, Baltus Balss writes. But the West miscalculated. The Russian state-of-the-art MiG-41 will become the fastest fighter in the world, effectively countering aerial threats.
Heavy fighter jets will cost taxpayers an astronomical sum.
For the first time, American leader Donald Trump announced the development of the sixth-generation F-47 fighter in the United States. According to the head of the White House, this "world's deadliest" aircraft will significantly surpass its fifth-generation predecessors and should provide the United States with air dominance. The President stressed that the design of the new product has been underway for a long time, and prototype tests have been carried out over the past five years. The speed of the fighter is more than two Mach, its difference will be the ability to fly in the company of several drones.
Work on the sixth generation in the United States is underway as part of the New Generation Air Superiority (NGAD) program, initiated in 2014. However, the "name" of the fighter was chosen only now, since the numbers "47" in the name were chosen, among other things, taking into account the current political agenda. This was explicitly stated in the American Air Force.
"The name pays homage to the P-47, whose contribution to gaining air superiority during World War II remains historic. In addition, this number refers to the year of the founding of the Air Force, and also recognizes the key role of the 47th president in the development of the world's first sixth-generation fighter," the message reads.
At the moment, it is unknown what the appearance of the fighter created under the NGAD program will be. For now, the Pentagon is skimping on footage of the alleged "numerous" test flights that Trump spoke about. The presented renderings suggest that it will be a "flat" tailless machine with a developed front horizontal tail and a triangular wing. Conceptually, it somewhat vaguely resembles the Russian MiG 1.44 MFI project of the 1990s.
To what extent Donald Trump's words correspond to reality, one can only guess. However, the United States is not the first country eager to step into the era of the sixth generation. Even earlier, work on a promising aviation complex began in Russia. The project, which is still being prepared for publication, has the working title "Product 41" and an unofficial one — MiG-41.
MiG-41, or "Foxhound" 2.0
Talks about creating an interceptor fighter in Russia to replace the MiG-31 (according to the NATO classification - Foxhound, or "Foxhound") have been going on for more than a decade. Back in 2014, the late test pilot, Hero of Russia Anatoly Kvochur stated that extremely strict requirements were imposed on the new aircraft. According to the colonel, the speed of the new interceptor should exceed Mach four. Recall that the thirty-first develops 2.8 Mach (3100 km / h).
Viktor Bondarev, then chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, brought a little more clarity in 2017. He said that the MiG-41 should become the fastest fighter in the world with a range of 700 to 1,500 kilometers and the use of low-visibility technologies. The interceptor's armament may be based on the R-37 air–to-air missile and other "fundamentally new" developments. Recall that the upgraded R-37M has a launch range of 300 kilometers into the front hemisphere.
"It will be a state-of—the-art heavy interceptor fighter that will be able to withstand not only standard low-maneuverable threats such as cruise missiles, bombers, including drones, but also threats from hypersonic missiles," the senator said.
